Aberlady (Gaelic:
Obar Lìobhaite) is a coastal village in the
ScottishScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
council area of
East LothianEast Lothian is one of 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, UK, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
. On
Aberlady BayAberlady Bay is a bay in East Lothian, Scotland between Aberlady and Gullane.In 1952, Aberlady Bay became the UK's first Local Nature Reserve and is served by the East Lothian Council Rangers....
, it is five miles northwest of
HaddingtonHaddington is a town and former Royal Burgh in East Lothian, Scotland. It is the main administrative, cultural and geographical centre for East Lothian, which was known officially as Haddingtonshire before 1921. It lies approximately east of Edinburgh...
and approximately 18 miles east of
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. It is the second largest Scottish city, after Glasgow, and the seventh-most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas....
, to which it is linked by the A198 Dunbar - Edinburgh road.
Aberlady Parish Church was opened in 1887. In the 1980s, the parishes of Aberlady and
GullaneGullane is a small town on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth in East Lothian on the east coast of Scotland. There has been a church in the village since the 800s. The ruins of the Old Church of St...
were merged, and the Manse is now in Gullane.
Aberlady is surrounded by several well-known golf courses including
LuffnessLuffness is a hamlet in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies between the towns of Gullane and Aberlady and is approximately 20 miles east of Edinburgh....
,
KilspindieKilspindie is a village in Perthshire, Scotland....
and Craigielaw.
In the Middle Ages, Aberlady was an important harbour and was designated "Port of Haddington".
Aberlady (Gaelic:
Obar Lìobhaite) is a coastal village in the
ScottishScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
council area of
East LothianEast Lothian is one of 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, UK, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
. On
Aberlady BayAberlady Bay is a bay in East Lothian, Scotland between Aberlady and Gullane.In 1952, Aberlady Bay became the UK's first Local Nature Reserve and is served by the East Lothian Council Rangers....
, it is five miles northwest of
HaddingtonHaddington is a town and former Royal Burgh in East Lothian, Scotland. It is the main administrative, cultural and geographical centre for East Lothian, which was known officially as Haddingtonshire before 1921. It lies approximately east of Edinburgh...
and approximately 18 miles east of
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. It is the second largest Scottish city, after Glasgow, and the seventh-most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas....
, to which it is linked by the A198 Dunbar - Edinburgh road.
Aberlady Parish Church was opened in 1887. In the 1980s, the parishes of Aberlady and
GullaneGullane is a small town on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth in East Lothian on the east coast of Scotland. There has been a church in the village since the 800s. The ruins of the Old Church of St...
were merged, and the Manse is now in Gullane.
Aberlady is surrounded by several well-known golf courses including
LuffnessLuffness is a hamlet in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies between the towns of Gullane and Aberlady and is approximately 20 miles east of Edinburgh....
,
KilspindieKilspindie is a village in Perthshire, Scotland....
and Craigielaw.
History
In the Middle Ages, Aberlady was an important harbour and was designated "Port of Haddington". by a 1633 Act of Parliament. However, its origins are much earlier.
Aberlady had strong links with the monasteries at
IonaIona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland that has an important place in the history of Christianity in Scotland and is renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty...
and
LindisfarneLindisfarne is a tidal island off the north-east coast of England also known as Holy Island, the name of the civil parish. The name Lindisfarne derives from Farne meaning "retreat" and Lindis, a small tidal river adjacent to the island. It has a population of 162...
from the 7th century, and its role was to facilitate the pilgrim traffic between the two sites. Previous archaeological excavations have shown traces of a
CuldeeIn the Middle Ages, the Culdees, anglicised form of Céli Dé , were ascetic monastic communities with settlements in Ireland, Scotland and England. The Irish term Céile Dé was Latinized to Coli dei, leading to Boece's culdei, which term seems to have been applied generally to monks and hermits...
chapel, and
Pope Gregory XPope Blessed Gregory X , born Tebaldo Visconti, was Pope from 1271 to 1276. He was elected by the papal election, 1268–1271, the longest papal election in the history of the Roman Catholic Church....
made reference to the church which he called "Aberlefdi". The 8th century Aberlady Cross fragment can be seen at the National Museum of Scotland in [Edinburgh]]. A reconstruction of this finely carved cross will be erected in 2009 by Aberlady Conservation & History Society.
The "Aberlady Heritage Project" is a community-led project, and in 2008 it surveyed three sites - the medieval harbour quay commissioned in 1535, the Iron Age fort and associated souterrain at Kilspindie, and the Anglo-Saxon site at the Glebe. Aberlady boasts the largest collection of stray Anglo-Saxon finds yet discovered in Scotland.
Conservation
In 1952, Aberlady Bay became the UK's first
Local Nature ReserveA Local Nature Reserve or LNR is a statutory designation made under Section 21 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 by principal local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland, the powers of district councils to establish LNRs are contained in Article...
or
LNRLNR may refer to:* Aeronca L-3, a World War II aircraft also known by the designation LNR* Ligue nationale de rugby, the organization that operates the two professional rugby union leagues in France* Liquid natural rubber, another name for latex...
. Amongst its other
conservation designationA conservation designation is a name and/or acronym which explains the status of an area of land in terms of conservation or protection.-United Kingdom:*Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty *Environmentally Sensitive Area*Local Nature Reserve,...
s are:
Site of Special Scientific InterestA Site of Special Scientific Interest or SSSI is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based...
or SSSI;
Special Protection AreaA Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Union directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.Member States of the European Union have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certain particularly threatened birds. Together with special areas of...
or
SPASPA can refer to:* SPA , a 1990's British band-As an abbreviation:* Saddle point approximation, a term used in quantum field theory* Sales and Purchase Agreement, a legal term for selling a company...
; and Ramsar site. East Lothian Council provides Reserve Wardens.
Waterston House, overlooking
Aberlady BayAberlady Bay is a bay in East Lothian, Scotland between Aberlady and Gullane.In 1952, Aberlady Bay became the UK's first Local Nature Reserve and is served by the East Lothian Council Rangers....
, is the headquarters of the
Scottish Ornithologists' ClubThe Scottish Ornithologists' Club is a Scottish ornithological body, founded in March 1936 at the premises of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. As of 2008, the SOC has 2,200 members...
(SOC). It is named after
George WaterstonGeorge Waterston was an ornithologist and conservationist in Scotland. He was Director of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in Scotland. He lived at 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh where he co-founded what was the Midlothian Ornithologists' Club and is now the Scottish Ornithologists'...
, the founder of the
Royal Society for the Protection of BirdsThe Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is a British charitable organisation which works to promote conservation and protection of birds and the wider environment through public awareness campaigns, petitions and through the operation of nature reserves throughout the United Kingdom...
.
The Library holds over 3,500 items and is said to be the largest ornithological library in Scotland.
The art gallery space is named after
wildlifeWildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals, and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
artistThe definition of an artist is wide-ranging and covers a broad spectrum of activities to do with creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. the worlds best artist is a man named mitchell peter lay who is often loved by the ladies. The common useage in both everyday speech and...
Donald WatsonDonald Watson was a Scottish ornithologist and a wildlife artist. He was born at Cranleigh, Surrey, on June 28, 1918, and died on Nov. 7, 2005 in Dumfries.He drew birds as a child and was encouraged in this by the wildlife artist Archibald Thorburn...
who was President of SOC. The gallery specialises in bird-related paintings, but in May 2008 it had a
textileA textile is a flexible material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw wool fibres, linen, cotton, or other material on a spinning wheel to produce long strands...
exhibition named "Flights of Fancy".
The author
Nigel TranterNigel Tranter OBE was a Scottish historian and author.-Early life:Nigel Tranter was born in Glasgow and educated at George Heriot's School in Edinburgh. He trained as an accountant and worked in Scottish National Insurance Company, founded by his uncle. In 1933 he married May Jean Campbell Grieve...
was inspired to write on his daily walks on the
nature reserveA nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
. A
cairnA cairn is a manmade pile of stones, often in a conical form. They are usually found in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops or near waterways.-Purpose:...
in his memory stands at the car park by the wooden footbridge; Nigel Tranter referred to it as "the bridge to enchantment".
Aberlady Conservation & History Society is the local focus for conservation in the built and natural environment of the village and its surroundings.
See also
- List of places in East Lothian
- List of wildlife artists
- North Sea Trail
The North Sea Trail is a long-distance path linking seven countries and 26 partner areas in Northern Europe around the North Sea.The project's aims are to support sustainable tourism and to explore the heritage of communities along the North Sea coast....
- John Muir Way
The John Muir Way is a 73 km long continuous coastal path in East Lothian, Scotland, UK.It is named in honour of the Scottish 19th century conservationist John Muir, who was born at Dunbar, East Lothian in 1838. He became the founder of America's National Parks...
- Myreton Motor Museum
The Myreton Motor Museum is a museum located near the village of Aberlady, East Lothian, Scotland, which has a motoring history collection which covers most of the twentieth century.- Collection :...
External links